Cold caller alert as Bradford woman is conned into handing over jewellery

Residents are being urged to be vigilant by West Yorkshire Police after three recent reports involving a cold caller who pretended to be a police officer querying fraudulent transactions on bank accounts.　　

After one such call, a man turned up at the victim’s house in the Eccleshill area of the city on April 23 after she had told the caller she was afraid to keep items of gold jewellery in the house following a burglary three years ago. 　

The suspect is described as Asian and is believed to be aged in his late-20s. He was slim and 5ft 8ins, had a short beard, short black hair and was wearing a black hooded top and blue tracksuit bottoms. 　

No money was handed over in the other incidents.　

PC Toni Hinnells, of Bradford District CID, said: “The police would never ask someone for their banking details or call to speak about suspected fraudulent activity on their bank account.　

“If you receive one of these calls please hang up and contact your bank separately. They should be able to confirm if they are aware of any suspected fraud with your account.　

“We would also advise that any personal banking documentation is shredded before being thrown away, as this will help to reduce the risk of being contacted by scammers.”　

Any suspicious calls can be reported to Action Fraud on 0300 1232040.